The present invention deals with a touchpad or touchscreen with a sensitive control panel for setting particular functions, as well as a control element for a touchpad or touchscreen.
Various operator control concepts exist for the triggering and setting of particular functions, for example in motor vehicles. Classically, control elements are used in the form of rotary controls or slider controls to which particular functions are assigned, for example the temperature setting of a heater or the volume setting of an audio installation, or which are used for the control of particular menu functions. The latter takes place in combination with a display screen, it being possible for the coordination between the movement of the control element and the perception of the display screen, in particular, to become difficult if a vehicle has to be moved at the same time.
So-called touchscreens which have already been known for some considerable time have sensitive control panels, so that they are suitable for simultaneously setting and visualizing particular functions. So-called touchpads have sensitive control panels without display facilities and are usually used with a separate display screen. It is inconvenient that the key triggering does not give the user any tactile feedback and in practice only pushbutton operations are simulated. It is in fact also known that slider controls can be displayed on a touchscreen, but this requires increased concentration on the part of the user to follow a track placed in advance on the touchscreen and is therefore less suitable, especially for motor vehicles.
A rotary control with an integrated touchpad is known from DE 103 04 720 A1. The touchpad is intended to be used, in particular, to input alphanumeric characters and is provided in the central circular area of the rotary control, which is otherwise of a conventional construction. A disadvantage of this solution is the high outlay, since electrical contact with the rotary control on the one hand and the touchpad on the other is necessary, it being possible that the area on the control itself offers only limited operating options.
Moreover, a system comprising a combined output and input unit is known from DE 103 04 191 A1, it being possible in one embodiment for a conventional rotary control to be arranged centrally between two displays which can display various operating environments, for example menu levels. For its part, the stated system operates with a conventional rotary control, and it must be mentioned that in addition to the increased outlay of the electrical wiring, the special forms of the display screens can further increase the costs of such a system.